Golf clubs

ABSTRACT

Described is a set of golf clubs having a unique hosel position and orientation. The hosel position, along with different weight distributions of the clubheads, creates swing energy from a rear of the golf clubhead, maintains a player&#39;s hands in a proper position throughout the hitting zone and facilitates straight ball flight. The hosel position near an upper portion of the clubhead near its heel keeps the hosel clear of a clubface thereby providing a unobstructed clubface thus reducing the occurrence of shanks.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention relate to golf clubs for overcoming the shortcomings of previous golf club designs and in particular shanks. More particularly, a unique hosel position and design affords more clubface surface for ball striking.

BACKGROUND

The interest in golf has ramped up over the past ten years or so such that there are more than 26 million golfers in the U.S. who purchase $7 billion in golf equipment annually. Consequently, golf club designs continue to advance in an effort to improve and optimize play, and to capture a large portion of the $7 billion in sales. Such advances include larger and larger heads on woods, which are actually fabricated of metal alloys, new shaft materials, new grips and various other design features intended to attract the fancy of golfers. The attraction is typically premised on the club advancements ability to improve a golfer's game. In some cases improvements are evident and in others no improvement is noticed.

One universal problem that many golfers encounter is the “shank.” Many golfers consider “the shank” the worst shot in golf. With a shank (if the golfer is right handed), the ball squirts almost straight right from the moment the golfer hits it. The shank occurs when the ball is struck by the portion or part of an iron where the clubface and hosel meet. When a golfer hits the ball in that area of the clubhead it produces a unwanted ball reaction which is called and widely accepted as a “shank.”

While attempts have been made to design clubs to overcome the shank, none has adequately eliminated the problem. Thus, there exists the need for a set of golf clubs that eliminate shanks without sacrificing other necessary attributes of the golf clubs.

SUMMARY

Accordingly a first golf club of the present comprises: a shaft; a hosel having a first end retaining the shaft and a second end integral with an upper portion of a clubhead near a clubhead heel, an upper portion of said hosel in alignment with the retained shaft and a lower portion of said hosel diverging in a rearward direction, relative to the shaft, toward an upper portion of the clubhead and clear of the clubface.

By positioning the hosel at an upper portion of the clubface and diverging the lower portion of the hosel in a rearward direction, the clubface ball-striking surface is clear of the hosel such that the ability to shank a ball is eliminated. In other words, a larger “sweetspot” is available. Consequently, with more clubface available, players are more likely to hit good shots. Also, by positioning the hosel as set forth herein, clubhead energy is created behind the clubface encouraging a player's hands to be square through the hitting zone thus promoting a greater chance of straight and accurate ball flight.

Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a clubhead in a direction of a club toe;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the clubhead of FIG. 1 in a direction of the club heel;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the clubhead of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of the clubhead of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the clubhead of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the clubhead of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the clubhead along a back surface of a club shaft;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the clubhead along a front surface of the club shaft;

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view (as represented by A in FIG. 2) of a lower segment of the clubhead of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b illustrate a clubhead with dimensions identified thereon and a chart detailing the various dimensions of a set of golf club irons in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 a illustrates a chart detailing various specifications as denoted in FIG. 11 b of a set of golf club irons in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention claimed.

Initial reference is made to FIGS. 1-8 illustrating a clubhead and hosel arrangement generally referred to by reference numeral 100. The clubhead 110 and hosel 120 are normally cast, but in limited circumstances may also be forged, from a suitable alloy such as any combination of aluminum, steel, beryllium, nickel, copper, titanium, or other metals in varying combinations. The clubhead 110 comprises a clubface 111, club back 112, toe 113 and heel 114. While not shown, a first end 125 of the hosel 120 includes an opening for receipt of a golf club shaft 130 (shown in dotted lines). The shaft 130 is typically held in place with an adhesive like epoxy or similar substance. To accommodate the shaft 130, the first end 125 and upper segment 135 of the hosel 120 have a circular cross-section and the upper segment 135 of the hosel 120 is in alignment with the corresponding received shaft 125. The hosel 120 is termed a dog-leg hosel based on its configuration.

The hosel 120 begins to diverge near a lower segment 140 thereof. The divergence extends the hosel 120 in a rearward direction or in a direction of a golfer's backswing. Along with the divergence, the cross-section of the hosel 120 transforms from circular to elliptical. The elliptical cross-section of the hosel 120 near the clubface 111 is flattened such that a lower hosel surface 145 is elevated out of the way of the clubface 111. FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view along A in FIG. 1 of the lower segment 140 of the hosel 120 showing flattened surface 145 on a clubface 111 side of the club.

Now referring to FIG. 5, each club in a set (e.g., 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron, wedge and pitching wedge) has a cavity 115 with a different such that each club's weight distribution is different. The cavity 115 of each club is designed according to the hosel 120 position and orientation for the subject club. In so doing, a club's center of gravity is positioned optimally for player performance.

The hosel 120 becomes integral with the clubhead 110 at an elevated point near the golf club heel 114. The divergence of the hosel 120 provides for an unobstructed clubhead face 111 to prevent shanks. That is, more surface area of the clubface 111 is available to hit the golf ball and the hosel 120 is out of the way of the striking surface of the clubface 111. In addition, by integrating the hosel 120 at an elevated point on the clubhead 110, swing energy is transferred to a position at the rear of the clubhead 110. With conventional clubs, swing energy is transferred to the leading edge where the hosel joins the clubhead. Consequently, the swing energy transferred with the present clubs provides a player with additional golf ball travel distance in response to the same swing magnitude. Accordingly, a player does not feel the desire to over swing.

Now referring to FIG. 10 b, a chart 200 details two measurements (A) 210 and (B) 220 in millimeters and an angle (C) 230 in degrees (as identified in FIG. 10 a) for an exemplary set of irons (i.e., 4 iron through pitching wedge) 240 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention. The chart 200 shows that (A) 210 and (b) 220 have an inverse relationship. That is, as (A) 210 increases from the 4 iron to the pitching wedge, (B) 220 decreases. Angle (C) 230 decreases from the 4 iron to the pitching wedge. Consequently, a width of the sole of the club increases from 4 iron to PW.

FIG. 11 a shows a chart 300 detailing iron dimensions, including an offset 310, for an exemplary set of irons (i.e., 4 iron through pitching wedge). The offset 310, as shown in FIG. 11 b, is measured from a leading edge 320 of the hosel 120 and a leading edge 330 of the clubface 111. A positive offset 310 signifies that the leading edge 320 of the hosel 120 is ahead of the leading edge 330 of the clubface 111 while a negative offset signifies that the leading edge 320 of the hosel 120 is behind the leading edge 330 of the clubface 111.

The offset hosel 120 of the present clubs helps players maintain their hands in the proper position through the hitting zone, including at time of impact. Hand position is a significant problem faced by all golfers. The offset hosel 120 of the embodiments of the present invention keeps a player's hands in a forward position thus causing the player to release and square up their hand position as their swing progresses through the hitting zone. The additional useful surface area of the clubface 111 and the proper hand position not only reduces shanks, it also, through repetition, teaches a player a more consistent and proper swing. Also, the hosel 120 orientation further brings the energy of the clubhead 110 to a center-point on the clubface 111 rather than conventional clubs which, based on their hosel orientation, direct energy closer to a toe than the heel. As disclosed above, the back side of the clubs of the embodiments of the present invention include cavities 115 for distributing weight differently to fully utilize the benefits of the hosel 120.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims. 

1. A golf club comprising: a shaft, a hosel having a first end retaining the shaft and a second end integral with an upper portion of a clubhead near a clubhead heel, an upper portion of said hosel in alignment with the retained shaft and a lower portion of said hosel diverging in a rearward direction, relative to the shaft, toward an upper portion of the clubhead and clear of the clubface.
 2. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the hosel is circular in cross-section near the shaft and elliptical in cross-section near the clubhead.
 3. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the clubhead includes a cavity on a back surface thereof.
 4. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the hosel is offset from the clubface.
 5. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the golf club is selected from the group consisting of a 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge.
 6. A set of golf club irons comprising: at least a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron, wedge and pitching wedge wherein each club comprises: a shaft; a hosel connected at a first end to the shaft and integral at a second end with an upper portion of a clubhead near a clubhead heel, an upper portion of said hosel in alignment with the retained shaft and a lower portion of said hosel diverging in a rearward direction, relative to the shaft, toward an upper portion of a clubhead heel such that the clubface is clear of the hosel.
 7. The set of golf club irons of claim 6 wherein the hosel is circular in cross-section near the shaft and elliptical in cross-section near the clubhead.
 8. The set of golf club irons of claim 6 wherein the clubhead includes a cavity on a back surface thereof.
 9. The set of golf club irons of claim 8 wherein each club cavity has a different shape for creating a different weight distribution.
 10. The set of golf club irons of claim 9 wherein each cavity design takes into account a hosel position and orientation for the corresponding club.
 11. The set of golf club irons of claim 6 wherein the hosel is offset from the clubface.
 12. The set of golf club irons of claim 6 wherein each of the 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron, wedge and pitching wedge have a different hosel offset.
 13. A golf club comprising: a shaft; a hosel having a first end retaining the shaft and a second end integral with an upper portion of a clubhead near a clubhead heel, an upper portion of said hosel in alignment with the retained shaft and a lower portion of said hosel diverging rearward direction, relative to the shaft, toward an upper portion of the clubhead and clear of the clubface, said hosel having a circular cross-section near the shaft and an elliptical cross-section near the clubhead.
 14. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the clubhead includes a cavity on a back surface thereof.
 15. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the hosel is offset from the clubface.
 16. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the golf club is selected from the group consisting of a 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge. 